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Post by sixdemonbag on Mar 27, 2020 21:08:02 GMT -6
There is no morale in OD&D. It's basically just: 2d6 and Wing It™. Even the Chainmail morale rules don't really work for OD&D 1:1. The best you will find is from the TSR FAQ:
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Post by sixdemonbag on Mar 3, 2020 23:02:54 GMT -6
Is it too late to add a poll? I'll put in a vote for red dragons. Red dragons feel very "D&D" to me.
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Post by sixdemonbag on Feb 26, 2020 13:55:32 GMT -6
There's a few, but maybe This One will be of interest. That's an incredible amount research you've done there. I've been reading through the rest of your blog and it's an absolute gold mine. I think what you've laid out is as close as we can currently get to reproducing Arneson's Blackmoor combat system based on known documentation and testimony. Looking forward to future discoveries. I'm just so glad there are guys like aldarron and increment out there digging up all these old treasures!!
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Post by sixdemonbag on Feb 21, 2020 15:52:53 GMT -6
"1972ish", is exactly when the hobby started hearing about them. Beyond that, as I said, this can be accomplished with 2d6 as well. Here's some guys blog post about it. Btw, Korns includes a chart just like this in MWiM (1966). Nice link. I always forget that in the days before polyhedrals being commonly available and a phone in everyone's pocket that people had to get creative. It makes sense that Arneson would have a 2d6-to-% chart handy at the table for a variety of games. How hits were resolved prior to Gygax's involvement has always been a fascination of mine. I'll have to dig further to see if anything is out there that might provide more hints. The old blackmoor character sheets that are floating around almost create more questions than they answer. Fun stuff!!
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Post by sixdemonbag on Feb 21, 2020 14:09:35 GMT -6
d10 (percentile d20): save on AC or better. Interesting. I wasn't aware that d20's were being used in 1972ish. I just assumed d6's were the norm until Gygax starting playtesting with polyhedrals.
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Post by sixdemonbag on Feb 20, 2020 23:48:44 GMT -6
For simplicity's sake, let's say that HD refers to both damage dice, and HTK/HP (taken as a fixed average or rolled randomly, as preferred.) As a PC goes from flunky to hero and then to super-hero, "HD" increases from 1 to 4 and then to 8. A Wizard would presumably have 2 HD since they fight as 2 armored foot in normal combat.
That much seems seems reasonable to me, based on the discussion here and what I've read elsewhere. Svenson above mentions the use of armor class in Blackmoor very early on. So my question is: do we have a working theory on how successful "hits" were determined in Blackmoor?
The M2M table seems like an obvious candidate until the question of monsters attacking comes up. The FCT doesn't involve AC so that seems unlikely. The mass combat table could be used if AC was translated to troop-types but that seems too clunky even for Arneson.
Instead, it's been reported that AC was more of a "saving throw." This makes sense as a successful hit would simply be a failed save based on AC. However, there doesn't seem to be any concrete accounts of such a system. This seems to be one of the last mysteries of Arneson's pre-D&D combat system. My guess is that this armor save was some type of 2d6 roll or perhaps a single die throw if there were only a few classes of armor.
Does anyone have any theories or insight into this?
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Post by sixdemonbag on Feb 20, 2020 14:18:27 GMT -6
No initiative. PC's always go first unless surprised. So, for most encounters:
Scenario #1 ------------- Ref: You carefully round the corner to the west and see a group of at least 3 goblins at (*rolls dice to check surprise/distance*) 40 feet. What do you do? Caller: The three front line fighters immediately spread out to the width of the corridor and attempt to engage in melee while the archers in the second row fire missiles. Our magic-user holds to the rear to anticipate any larger threats. Ref: Great. Archers, roll your attacks before the front line gets in formation to avoid penalty. Front line fighters, you will be able to close the distance as missiles whistle and sing overhead...
Scenario #2 ------------- Ref: You carelessly round the corner to the west and see a group of at least 3 goblins at (*rolls dice to check surprise/distance*) 30 feet. You are surprised by the monsters which immediately charge the front line fighters. Caller: Drats! Do the fighters have time to spread out to the width of the corridor to protect the second line archers and our Magic-User? Ref: (*Rolls dice.*) The fighters are barely able to stumble over each other as they successfully spread out in formation across the dusty hallway. (*Ref rolls attacks for monsters.*) Fighter #1 takes 2 points of damage as one goblin hits while the other two miss their targets. What do you do now?...
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Post by sixdemonbag on Jan 20, 2020 17:36:08 GMT -6
Nothing says "D&D" to me quite like the Beholder. The titular dragons are a very close second. Also, the movie my avatar is taken from, has a Beholder in it, so I'm biased.
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Post by sixdemonbag on Nov 7, 2019 1:23:21 GMT -6
1-3 = 1 and 4-6 = 2, as God intended.
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Post by sixdemonbag on Oct 31, 2019 19:43:01 GMT -6
Thanks to all of you for the input. Here's what I came up with. Love it! If you ever decide to make an OD&D-style PDF or handout, be sure to share.
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Post by sixdemonbag on Oct 30, 2019 12:41:14 GMT -6
Hmmm, if you don't want any hit bonuses, then there are some other options:
1. Critical hits on 18+ 2. Multiple shots per round 3. Damage bonuses 4. 2 in 6 chance for max damage on certain aimed shots 5. ??
For trade-offs, limiting to leather or chain armor would be most obvious. Maybe disallow magic swords as well, if you really want to be stingy.
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Post by sixdemonbag on Oct 29, 2019 21:40:13 GMT -6
I like the above answer. If she wants to be human, just give her the hobbit/halfling missle/sling bonus from whichever edition you prefer. Then maybe limit her to leather armor (if she wants these unique bonuses, otherwise, her Dex bonus would still apply in any armor.)
I'd still have her progress as a Fighting-Woman(?) since she presumably won't be using spells.
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Post by sixdemonbag on Aug 31, 2019 11:44:56 GMT -6
Zen, You can put text into a spoiler tag like this: This is a spoiler test. Just use [ spoiler]This is a spoiler test.[ /spoiler] (remove the space after the left brackets.)
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Post by sixdemonbag on Aug 19, 2019 12:01:40 GMT -6
My pipe dream D&D:
1. 4 basic booklets (don't care about size or quality): I.) Character creation rules for players (and nothing else) II.) Rules for combat, exploration, and character advancement III.) Monster, Treasure, and Spell descriptions (all based on 1E, but simplified for OD&D) IV.) Sample adventure (dungeon, town, and encounter examples for noobs)
2. 4 base character classes: Fighter, Wizard, Cleric, & Thief
3. 4 base races: Human, Elf, Dwarf, & Halfling
4. Most rules would mimic OD&D, but with brief clarifications/improvements from future editions (I'd start with Holmes and B/X as a baseline)
5. Minimal illustrations and other space-eaters (only the iconic monsters, races, classes, etc.)
6. Add some humor and personality into the text. Nobody wants to read a textbook! That's what reference sheets are for.
7. d6 and d20 polyhedrals included (ideally a handful of each, this is a pipe dream after all...)
8. Ascending AC
9. Single saving throw
10. No ability scores
-------------------
AD&D would include:
1. More races and classes 2. High level spells and character levels 3. Domain Management 4. Detailed world-building advice with many random tables, etc. 5. More complex combat and exploration options 6. Extensive use of polyhedrals by default 7. Ability scores and corresponding skill systems 8. Hardcover with color illustrations 9. Pretty much all the other fiddly stuff that isn't really necessary to actually play the game, but many people would still clamor for...
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Post by sixdemonbag on Jul 26, 2019 12:34:20 GMT -6
For me, a round isn't really a set in stone period of time. It's simply the amount of time it takes for everyone to move around a little and perform some type of effortful action. Whether that takes a minute or ten seconds isn't really that important.
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Post by sixdemonbag on Jul 24, 2019 12:15:41 GMT -6
Reddit is good for memes and lulz, but that's about it. I find the core voting system more annoying than useful. I also don't like hierarchical commenting systems, in general, but that's way things are done now with social media taking over the world.
On every social media platform, I try to change the setting to chronological wherever possible.
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Willow
Jul 16, 2019 20:46:49 GMT -6
Post by sixdemonbag on Jul 16, 2019 20:46:49 GMT -6
"Son of a motherless goat!"
I love Willow (the movie.) Kilmer was great. The storming the castle scene was great. The final battle between Sorsha, et al. and Queen Bavmorda was an epic sorcery duel. The stop-motion effects haven't aged well but I still prefer it to poor CGI. I definitely made some wands (aka sticks) and pretended they were magical as a kid.
I mean, try NOT watching this whole clip!:
And another just for fun:
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Post by sixdemonbag on May 26, 2019 12:18:40 GMT -6
Jones appears in Aliens, too! Haha yes, that's true. Jonesy gets to retire to Ripley's apartment for his bravery and fearlessness in service of the Nostromo, lol.
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Post by sixdemonbag on May 26, 2019 10:27:06 GMT -6
Alien and Aliens are both classics. However, the original has Jones, so it will always be my favorite:
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Post by sixdemonbag on May 14, 2019 17:46:04 GMT -6
Ok, my worthless take on the story so far: Dany melting down the Red Keep and all the innocents within would make some sense and probably not cause much fan outrage. Even wiping out the entire Golden Company after surrendering to assert her dominance/fear and eliminate the only threat to her own army would make both character and plot sense. This would leave Dany in the morally gray area where GRRM lives and what makes the series so popular. This would give Jon/Sansa/Arya/Tyrion major pause and cause conflict between them and Dany and her Dothraki/Unsullied. This is where GoT is at it's best, i.e., when nobody is completely Chaotic Evil or completely Lawful Good. Instead, by having Dany wipe out the entire innocent populace of King's Landing, the showrunners essentially made Dany a mustache-twirling Super Villain in the span of a single episode. I can understand the fan frustration about this considering she has consistently been shown to protect the weak and powerless at all costs (even to the point of chaining up her own dragons.) I have no doubt that GRRM is planning something similar in the books, but I firmly believe it will occupy much more realistic gray area than what was shown in "The Bells."As for Euron/Cersei/Night King and the rest? Ultimately, they were inconsequential since Dany is the true Big Bad of Westeros. That's a nice inversion of tropes, but wasn't sold effectively. If Jon lands on the throne as some kind of reluctant King, that will be very disappointing since Jon is a generically bland "undiscovered true king in exile" and we've seen his character is fantasy many, many times before (Aragorn, etc.) Although, Jon constantly failing forward could be a cynical take on those who rise to power by GRRM, but I'm not sure that Jon's Lawful Good "moral purity" really fits with that cynicism (see: Ned Stark, etc.) In other words, Jon's character is essentially "wish fulfillment" personified and I don't think GRRM would reward such. I still think the Iron Throne will be melted/destroyed (if it hasn't been already, it's unclear) and Tyrion will end up in power with a new system of rule, backed by the Iron Bank/Golden Company to some extent. That makes the most sense to me based on GRRM's writing and philosophy. My overall hope is that GRRM is not a true nihilist whereby "meet the new boss, same as the old boss"* is the point he's trying to drive home in the series. *Lyrics courtesy of The Who "Won't Get Fooled Again":
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Post by sixdemonbag on May 9, 2019 11:55:31 GMT -6
Just like this guy I like it, but I've found that eventually players are looking for a bit of "progression". Which reminds me that I really need comb through DD in more detail! For progression, I like using the "Hear Noise" skill for all thief skills as a simple "BtB" solution. However, low-level thieves still struggle some early on, which doesn't bother me, but I can see where it would be annoying to others. Another option could be using using the Cleric death/poison save progression for thief skills.
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Post by sixdemonbag on May 8, 2019 23:33:52 GMT -6
Ability checks are always kinda awkward in OD&D to me. You could simply use the hear noise skill for all thiefy skills if you want some progression but without all the extra crunch. This doesn't solve the poor chances to be thiefy at low levels though.
Instead, here is my "one line" OD&D Thief that meshes well with the existing system:
Thieves wearing leather armor have a base 4 in 6 chance to do anything thiefy*.
*Thiefy things: Greyhawk skills, etc. Hobbits get bumped to 5 in 6 because they are tricksy Hobbitses.
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Post by sixdemonbag on May 3, 2019 10:24:32 GMT -6
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Post by sixdemonbag on Apr 6, 2019 0:20:59 GMT -6
Thanks 6DB but, er.. smallcaps are evil. It's like being shouted at I didn't even realize it was smallcaps! Yuck indeed. Ok, so I had to ditch the fancy template and instead went to something more OD&D-like. So here are single-column, two-page versions in 12pt font. I made a version in a knockoff futura and one in courier: "Futura" 12pt: ggtg-12pt-nunito.pdf (54.37 KB) Courier 12pt: ggtg-12pt-courier.pdf (57.55 KB)
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Post by sixdemonbag on Apr 4, 2019 22:20:50 GMT -6
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Post by sixdemonbag on Apr 4, 2019 19:55:32 GMT -6
It's not a PDF, I just wrote it. You should certainly be able to copy it, though. Use it freely, as long as you attribute it. I've already printed it out and made it required reading for my players. The whole thing, author's credit included. They absolutely love it. Really puts a good perspective on the game and how it's best played I was bored and made a 2-column PDF. Feel free to host this on your site, Gronan: ggtg.pdf (884.87 KB) Print-friendly version: ggtg-pf.pdf (310.03 KB) EDIT: Added an ink-friendly version and made some minor formatting changes to both files. I recommend re-downloading.
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Post by sixdemonbag on Apr 2, 2019 11:42:29 GMT -6
My numbers were based on something slightly different to what Red Baron wrote (although that would work too). To spell it out in agonising detail for dungeon level 1: Thanks again, guys. I'm gonna run through a few examples myself and see how it goes. I like having this all in one place, in just a handful of lines.
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Post by sixdemonbag on Apr 1, 2019 19:47:35 GMT -6
sixdemonbag DL1: ... Thus total treasure could be 4900 silver, 210gp, and 2 jewelry which you now need to roll as per od&d to determine value of. Thanks! That makes perfect sense now.
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Post by sixdemonbag on Apr 1, 2019 12:50:44 GMT -6
More loot made simple: 2d6 x DL x 100 gp value of coins. 50-100% (1d6+4)x10% value in SP, remainder GP. DL x 5% chance of: 2-12 gems, 1-6 jewellery; DL x 2.5% chance of 1 magic item (roll individually). If any item occurs, roll for it again (recursively) until it doesn't come up*. Ok this is great. Any chance you could work through an example or two? Say, maybe DL1 and DLx? I think I understand your notation here, but an example would be helpful.
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Post by sixdemonbag on Mar 30, 2019 19:05:39 GMT -6
Ya. So, 5e fighters get the following class "features": I really like all these justifications! For the Martial Archetype, the default is Champion and that's actually the only option in the basic rules, so I think we can safely eliminate the others. All the rest of these are really well-thought out. This is probably where 0e has the major advantage of having less moving parts.
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